I loved this! The artwork is absolutely stunning and I wanted more as soon as I finished. Very engaging and interesting read!

Third Shift Society follows a normal girl with very few job-applicable skills, an unfinished degree, and student loans (Ellie) who's just trying to make it through life when she meets a paranormal detective with a pumpkin for a head (Ichabod) who offers her a job after she saves him with her previously unknown psychic abilities. I loved the overall vibe of this webtoon/book the character design for Ichabod and the cover really got me at a glace. Ellie is your typical clumsy girl trope but I laughed at her reactions when meeting different paranormal beings.

Umm… Is your head really a pumpkin?

The pacing of this really threw me off though, it felt like we were jumping the timeline too much and I kept getting lost on where we were in the story. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if we had a more fleshed out training arc and explanation between a lot of the earlier scenes. It felt like it was coming together a lot more towards the end with Oberon and Alice so I would be interested in seeing where the author goes with the storyline.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In full transparency, I struggled to get into this at first. Not because I didn’t think the concept was interesting, but because the plot came out of nowhere. This random supernatural being offers a job and she accepts, but besides a couple of flashbacks we don’t get much of the training, which I think is crucial for them as partners now. It helps us as readers get to know how close Ellie and Ichabod become through developing their skills and working as a team. I was also worried each chapter/section would be just another short anecdote about their adventures but towards the end when Oberon and Alice are introduced we really start to dive into an actual plot line for our characters to follow. I can’t wait to read more on Webtoon because as of that cliff hanger, there is no way I can wait for volume two!

Awesome graphic novel premise and characters! The "cases" move quickly, but the introduction to this new spooky world is more gradual and very interesting. Our MCs definitely have a spark between them, but it's not explored very much and is kept in the background. Overall, beautiful art and a captivating storyline!

Ellie is broke. Her rent is due, she has student loans, and now she lost her job.
While out moping around, she comes across a man with a pumpkin head fighting a horned monster. Of course she has to help him. She just didn't expect the flames that shoot out of her hands.

This is the start of their partnership in paranormal investigations.

This was fun to read. I loved the cases they worked on. I'm interested to see what Ellie and Ichabod get into next.

"Life's funny," indeed, and nowhere is that more evident than in the whirlwind adventure of "Third Shift Society." This delightful romp through the paranormal world introduces readers to a cast of characters as quirky as they are endearing, set against a backdrop of supernatural intrigue and danger.

Ellie's journey from the brink of financial ruin to the front lines of monster-hunting is captivating, made all the more compelling by her relatable blend of determination and clumsiness. With the enigmatic Ichabod, whose jack-o'-lantern head adds a whimsical touch to his detective persona, Ellie forms a dynamic duo that readers can't help but root for.

The world-building in "Third Shift Society" is imaginative and immersive, drawing readers into a realm where monsters are real, demons tend bar, and psychic powers lurk beneath the surface. From the bustling streets of the human world to the eerie depths of the mystical void, every setting feels alive with possibility and danger.

The second I got the approval to read this book I had to devour it! It was so much fun! It also ends on such a cliffhanger and I can’t wait to read more. Ellie finds out that magic exists in such a visceral there’s no going back now way. She does freak out, but not by much and pretty easily comes to accept it.

This is a story of opportunity showing up literally out of no where and the unexpected turning out to be what saves your life. Ellie also finds great joy in being able to save others lives too. Ellie has an energy power she didn’t realize she had and her pumpkin head partner Ichabod teaches her how to use it.

There’s hijinks and mishaps, magic and paranormal mayhem. This book has everything a fantasy lover could want. All the paranormal creatures are here and there’s infinite possibility for things to go wrong and also for things to go right. This story is just a grad old time.

Of course the art is beautiful and tells the story in such a fun way. I absolutely cannot wait to read more in the future!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book for publication.

I did not know I needed a story like this in my life until now. Volume one ended too quickly, but I know there will be more based on the cliffhanger. There are so many moving parts to this book that a dozen books could be made from it. Ghosts, demons, vampires, changelings, and a mysterious man with a pumpkin head. I like how the two main characters met and their relationship afterward. There is a hint of romance that I hope is explored in a slow burn, natural way. The art is beautiful and very imaginative with the different characters. The story moved at a good pace and explored everything going on in great detail. The storytelling was fresh and fascinating. I flew through this without realizing it was nearing the end.

I would put this as being better than Lore Olympus, and I love that Webtoon story.

When does volume 2 come out? I’m ready!

I am completely addicted to this series and as soon as I finished reading the novel here and realized it was on webtoons I immediately went over there to read more and finished it in two days. I'm hoping that the releasing of an officially published novel means that there will be more to come because I love series like this and it is so hard to find paranormal stories that aren't all gore and like psycho-thriller-neversleepagain levels of horror and I'm so excited that something like this has come out <3 Plus I love all the little extra literary nods to other books in the backgrounds and what not it is so cute! I already told my youth services librarian that she needs to get this for our YA collection <3

“Third Shift Society” by Meredith Moriarty is a WEBTOON Unscrolled graphic novel that’ll leave you wanting more. There’s everything from paranormal investigations to pumpkin headed detectives, and if you can believe it, even more!

I really enjoyed this read, not just because it’s a graphic novel (& I’m a big fan of graphic novels), but also because the characters were likable which isn’t always top priority for stories. The main character wasn’t just one of those characters that stands around and lets things happen, she gets up and fights even if she doesn’t know what she’s fighting which is how she and Ichabod meet. Ichabod is an awesome character as well, and I’m sure he’ll become a favorite for most people which is understandable since he’s also one of my favorites.

Positives:
• Cover is drawn really well, really catches the eye
• Illustrations are very professional looking, great job to the artist
• Likable characters
• Good storyline
• Humor here and there

Neutral:
• Pacing could be a tad fast at times, but I’m pretty sure that’s just because the story is made up of chapters that were released separately and then put together which is understandable, especially since I’ve read WEBTOON stories before. Could have been helpful to put a little note in the corner like a week later more often though.
• It’s kind of predictable at times, I guessed some things that would happen pretty easily, but that didn’t make the story any less enjoyable. It was actually kind of nice to get some things right in the story.
• The ending was a bit sudden, without any words to say to be continued or anything like that.

Negative:
• The watermark. I get why it’s there, but seeing the same words posted multiple times in the background made it kind of difficult to get into the story at times.

It’s an entertaining story, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I did!

Rating: 4.3/5 pumpkin heads!

* I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. *

Oh, this was really fun! The art was good, and Ichabod was such an interesting character. Also I’m so very intrigued about Alice and the mark… Hmmm…

Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad WEBTOON Book group for an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to start my review by expressing how difficult it was to read the story as there was "webtoon unscrolled" written across every page, sometimes covering text, and the images were very blurry.

I was extremely let down by this book. I was expecting a fun story with some spooky potentially Halloween vibes but unfortunately, I did not get that. What I got instead was some normal girl suddenly discovering she has these powers and now she needs to control them, all while being joined by a guy with a pumpkin for a head who has known her for all but 5 seconds and is ready to trust her enough to experience life-threatening situations alongside each other.

The main character is extremely annoying and bland and the dialogue does not give any substance to anything, and as much as I hate this term, she was truly radiating "pick me" vibes the entire time. The whole story felt extremely juvenile and felt as though it just took inspiration from a bunch of other works and mashed it all into one.

I liked the art style, and thought the colours were nice, although it was nothing special.

Overall, it really missed the mark for me and I do not see myself picking up any other volumed in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wattpad Webtoon Book Group, and Meredith Moriarty for the e-arc copy of this book.

Ichabod is super cool and my favorite character.

I liked the general plot of this book and I think it's a cool concept. I just found myself confused at times because of the pacing and had many questions. This made getting through the book a little bit harder but I still found myself invested and completely shocked at the cliffhanger.

Thank you NetGalley and Webtoon for allowing me to read this early!

This was a cute story and a great introduction into the plot and characters. While the characters seem a little simple currently I think this could be a really great graphic novel. Since this is only volume one, there isn’t much to go on other than the base world building. I am interested to see where this goes but hope volume two is a bit more impactful than volume one.

Third Shift Society is a cute little graphic novel about paranormal investigators. Ellie just lost her job and is about to lose her apartment when she meets Ichabod and saves him from a demon. He hires her to help him in his paranormal investigations around town. Each chapter revolves around a different mystery and we get introduced to their associates, but you can tell that the overall plot is building to something bigger. The art was pretty classic comic book art. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys stories about the paranormal and magic.

Loved this story - the world, relationship between Icabod and Ellie, case of the week style, and the art is great. Can't wait for more.

What I liked: the art was was very well done I likes how things where between comic/anmie style. The words abd panels made sense when telling the story.
The story was mystery of the week which made it a fun read. Also over arching plot of our MC was tricked was interesting.
What I didn't like: the story line felt choppy and felt like things where missing which made me come out of the story a little bit. Plus it just ends like end of a chapter rather have an actual than just end abruptly.
Over all I'd like to read the finished product. And I did enjoy few things very entertaining.

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley - but ended up reading episodes 1-24 on Webtoons, since the watermark was too overbearing. Publishers, please stop handing out ARCs that are borderline unreadable!)

-- 3.5 stars --

Ellie McGuinness is failing miserably at this whole adulting thing: she's deep in debt and on the verge of eviction - and this is *before* she loses her job at a thrift store (but totally not because she accidentally kicked a baby; yes, Ellie is all of us). So imagine her surprise when, headed home, she's able to save a pumpkin-headed man from a horned hellbeast by shooting blue flames out of her hands! Finally, something she's good at.

Ichabod offers Ellie a job as a paranormal investigator - in turn, he'll help her control her psychic powers, and provide her with a steady paycheck. It's a no-brainer, right?

Over the course of the first season (episodes 1-24 on Webtoons), Ellie and Ichabod investigate a haunted house; face down an entire archive of cursed books; and chase a giant bug man across the rooftops of their city. You know, just another day at the office.

It's a fun (if not always memorable) spin on the Sleepy Hollow tradition. I especially enjoyed the storyline about Greg Samson (giving strong Kafka vibes), and Moriarty is definitely teasing a romance with the cute but cagey Simon Strauss, doctor to the paranormal, who also happens to be a vampire. Season 1 ends with a cliffhanger involving Oberon the demon, Alice from Wonderland, and a magic ring, that will definitely have me returning for Season 2.

Sadly, this felt unfinished to me, and not just because it ends on a cliffhanger. There are constant hints to a larger scope of the supernatural world, with nothing being expanded upon. I would love to see this world built up, but I felt let down by it.
The story was fine, and definitely felt very episodic, which is great for a webcomic and a little more confusing in a book.

Thank you NetGalley for the book!

Ellie needs to pay her bills, but she just lost her job. So she tries different jobs, until she accidentally runs into Ichabod. A pumpkin headed man. She then saves him from a beast and so he hires her to work with him as a paranormal detective.

A perfect graphic novel for young adults and grown ups alike. A little bit of cussing, but no big F bombs. Overall a wonderful read, with beautifully drawn charactors, and excellent story telling.